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7 Ways to Have a More Balanced Life

These 7 strategies may help you create a more balanced life. By giving attention to all of the areas in your life that are personally important to you, you can avoid burnout and enjoy more peace.

A woman balancing while doing yoga on the beach.

“I believe that being successful means having a balance of success stories across the many areas of your life.” ~ Zig Ziglar

I was formerly a magazine publishing executive, and helped launch several new magazines during my career — one of which was a now-defunct magazine called Balance.

Written for busy women doctors, Balance was all about how to juggle an ultra-demanding job with family and friends and still have time for a life.

The docs loved Balance, but some of the pharmaceutical companies that we relied on for advertising–not so much. Women doctors don’t prescribe as many drugs as male doctors, so drug companies at that time were less enthusiastic about reaching the market and the magazine eventually folded.

Creating Balance

I still treasure the conversations I had with women doctors, and the generous insights they shared about their own efforts to live well-rounded, meaningful, fulfilling lives.

If you’re still seeking the perfect formula (like I always am!), perhaps you could take a few minutes now to consider whether your day-to-day life is aligned with the things you care about most—and to make adjustments if needed.

Your list may contain different priorities, but here are some areas to consider:

1. Your Primary Relationship

“Get away often with the one you love,” suggests Gail Riley, co-owner of the award-winning luxury inn Highland Haven and author of the book Colorado Romance. “Break the day-in, day-out doldrums and remember why you fell in love.”

Consider specific plans you could make in the months to come, to support and nurture your relationship with your significant other. Make a reservation at a romantic restaurant or order your partner a special treat.

2. Family

Are you having fun and making good memories? Do you feel connected as a family? What could you do to encourage family togetherness and connectedness? You may want to plan more family dinners, take a special vacation, or choose a weekly family night to enjoy more quality time together.

3. Spirituality

Is this an area of your life in which you’d like to experience growth? If you want to give spirituality greater priority in your life, you may wish to attend your church or synagogue more regularly.

Perhaps you could add a daily practice of praying or meditating to begin each day feeling grounded. Or perhaps you can make plans to go deeper by attending a class or going on a spiritual retreat.

4. Work

“Have the courage to follow your heart and intuition,” the late Steve Jobs said. Do you feel like you’re doing what you were put on this earth to do?

Do you feel secure and hopeful about the future in your chosen career? Is your work bearing fruit? If not, consider what specific steps you might take in the coming year to explore new options, network and learn new skills.

5. Friends

Few relationships enhance our lives like supportive, positive friendships. Are you generally satisfied with your circle of friends and the opportunities you have to connect?

If not, perhaps you would like to reach out to some new friends this year. Alternately, you may decide to spend less time with someone whose negative energy or demands are bringing you down.

6. Community

William James said, “The great use of life is to spend it for something that outlasts it.” Happy people generally derive deep satisfaction from giving back in a personally meaningful way.

Do you have a heart for a particular cause or group of people? Are there specific steps you could take in the coming months to contribute in some way to the greater good?

7. Self Care

“We need to cultivate an overall lifestyle that supports our ability to maintain our energy from the inside out,” recommends Denver life coach and yoga teacher Diane Sieg.

Busy people sometimes put everyone else’s needs first, but taking care of ourselves, relaxing and recharging are all essential elements of a balanced life.

How might you carve out a little more time for yourself? Perhaps it’s time to let some things go so you can make space in your life to care for yourself.

Whether you’re still striving to find the perfect balance or you’ve discovered the secrets to living a more harmonious life, we’d love to hear your thoughts. Drop a comment below!

11 thoughts on “7 Ways to Have a More Balanced Life”

  1. Lovely words and puts life back into perpective….when we really focus on what is truly important, life just seems to roll along way more smoothly. Thanks

    Reply
  2. I believe that having a balanced life will always make me happy.. Balancing every aspect of my life sometimes can be hard, but I make sure to balance everything so I will not regret in the future. Thanks for sharing this great article…

    Reply
  3. This is a great article to read. Balancing our life style is great thing to do to avoid any problem in the future. Thanks for sharing this wonderful insights to us.

    Reply
  4. Pingback: Work is Almost Complete | The Homespun Journal Work is Almost Complete | the adventure of one family on the road to self-sufficiency
  5. Having a well-balanced life is a great factor in being stress-free. Some are blinded by their lifestyle inflation that they don’t get to focus on more important aspects in their lives such as their families and health. They don’t get to cherish the beauty of whatever the day may bring.

    Reply
  6. Living simple is a challenge when your family is not on board with consuming less and strategies for reducing debt.
    What are some tips on getting buy in from family members on frugal living?

    Reply
  7. Some lovely ideas. For me the hardest part of maintaining balance is not doing all those things though, except the last one. Finding time for self care – specifically getting enough sleep, is the real trial. I feel like I need to do less of just about everything (except sleep, Lol), so as to be better able to slow down and pay attention to each moment, and especially when it comes to being with my kids in a non-rushed way. We are on school holidays at the moment which I l love, but generally I really struggle with feeling too busy all the time.

    Reply
  8. when we start living in harmony with nature and our environment, we create a balance with nature. Being simple does not mean taking the fun out of life rather it means enjoying life in a considerate way.

    Reply

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